For new plants to grow, seeds must be distributed in different areas away from the mother plants. One disadvantage of plants compared to animals is that plants cannot physically get up and move to different places. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Seed dispersal is a very important part of nature and how plants coexist with other plants. It allows plant seeds to be moved or dispersed to other areas where they can receive their own resources such as water, sunlight and soil nutrients. There are many methods by which seed dispersal occurs, but there are a few main ways it occurs. These methods are wind/air, water, animal, and fire. Each of these methods is specific to certain plants and are necessary for the plants to actually grow and thrive in the environment they are placed into. Seed dispersal by wind is also known as seed dispersal by air. The seeds of plants programmed to undergo wind dispersal are very light and somewhat similar to feathers. The unique appearance and characteristics of the leaf allow the wind to carry the seeds long distances. An example of a plant that experiences wind seed dispersal is a dandelion. When the dandelion head is blown off, the little feather-like things that fly away are actually the seeds of the plant and are actually dispersed. Another example of a plant that disperses wind is a maple tree. Maple trees produce seeds that are shaped like a helicopter with wings. This design of the seed allows it to take advantage of the wind and "flutter" away from the parent plant. In fact, if the wind is just the right amount, some seeds can be transmitted hundreds of kilometers away. However, wind-dispersed seeds move in all different directions and have no control over where they go and this causes most seeds not to fall into areas suitable for a plant to grow. For this reason, plants such as dandelions grow many seeds to increase the chances that the seeds will end up in a suitable area to grow. Seed dispersal can also occur with the help of water. This happens when the seeds physically float away from the parent plant in the water. Mangrove trees live in estuaries, which are the areas where fresh water meets salt water from the sea. Seeds from mangrove trees may fall during low tide and will begin to root. If the seeds fall directly into the water, the current will carry them to another area. Coconuts are other seeds that are dispersed in water and end up on beaches and germinate. Animals are also able to disperse seeds and this happens through their excrement. For example, birds in the forests of New Zealand eat fleshy fruits, and the chemicals in their bodies weaken the coating around these seeds. They are then dropped by the birds far away from where they started since the birds can fly. Another method by which animals disperse seeds is through plants that have sticky seeds such as pittosporum or plants that have hooks on the seeds. These seeds then attach themselves to animals (they can also hitch a ride to humans) and are transported and transmitted to different places. The last technique which is among the most important of the many ways seed dispersal occurs is through fire. It is obvious that if there is a fire in a forest, plants cannot avoid it or move away from it. Instead, some plants have adapted to this and allowed the seeds to survive in extreme heat..